Many fishermen carry a number of fishing rods with different lures attached to the line associated with each rod. This makes it possible to change lures simply by putting one rod down and picking another up. This technique is frequently used in the sport of competitive bass fishing where the competition is based on the number of fish caught in a limited amount of time. In such competitions, there is no time for removing a lure from a line and reattaching a different lure to the same line. Instead it is the custom, as noted above, to bring a relatively large number of rods, each equipped with a different lure. As soon as the fisherman determines that the fish are not biting on the lure he is then using, a change may be effected very rapidly in the manner described.
An obvious difficulty in such situations is the possibility that hooks on the lures will become entangled with other fishing paraphernalia, resulting in a tangle of equipment which is time consuming to untangle and therefore a serious disadvantage in a competitive situation. The need to protect the people who are nearby is obvious.
Numerous devices have been designed over the years that serve to encapsulate a fishing lure and secure it to a fishing rod. The applicant is aware of the following United States Patents showing devices that hold fishing lures for one purpose or another:
______________________________________ 5,020,264 4,944,111 4,831,772 4,667,433 4,597,216 4,452,003 4,441,274 4,418,490 4,216,604 4,203,245 4,015,361 4,614,054 4,121,368 4,081,923 3,950,881 3,941,159 3,940,873 3,800,456 3,769,741 3,646,641 D.217,663 3,484,980 3,453,770 3,430,379 3,199,243 3,141,258 2,993,293 2,932,118 2,878,610 2,699,623 2,627,133 2,285,888 1,623,429 786,352. ______________________________________
The large number of patents and the span of time over which they continue to be issued is testimony to continuing demand for an improved and effective lure protector.